I don’t think many things have influenced my understanding of the nature of God more than becoming a parent for the first time.
I distinctly remember one night when my oldest, DJ, was having a complete meltdown at bed time. While the particular circumstances that caused him to be sobbing uncontrollably escape me (there may or may not have been many such occasions), I remember him through a fit of tears telling me to leave him alone.
My child was distraught and he wanted me to leave.
I left the room and closed his door, and I just stood there. I stood and waited. I listened to him sobbing for what felt like an eternity. I stood there with my heart breaking for him as he cried in his room uncontrollably.
That simple moment brought me so much understanding of the message of the cross, over the nature of God, and the love God has for His children.
My son lay in his room, hopelessly lost in his own despair and hurt. I stood at the door to his room, eagerly waiting on him to invite me in. As much as I wanted to intervene in that moment, I knew I had to allow him the space to invite me in.
My ability to solve the problem didn’t mean anything in that moment. I couldn’t be the solution until he was ready.
Our relationship with God is much the same way. God’s ability to move in our lives is limited by our unwillingness to allow Him in.
In Mark 6:5, Scripture is talking about Jesus and tells us that “He could not do any miracles there…” It goes on to say in verse six that Jesus marveled at their unbelief.
Let that sink in. Jesus had all the power, all the authority, all the capacity to solve their problem. Yet, he could not do any miracles there. It doesn’t say he wouldn’t, it doesn’t say it wasn’t God’s will…it simply says he could not because of their unwillingness to allow Him in.
Another story illustrates this same point, but in a different way.
In Luke 8, Jesus is walking through town and a woman pushes her way through the crowd to touch His clothing. Jesus’ reaction was strange… in verse 46 Jesus says that He knew someone touched him because He felt the power go out of him and in verse 48 He says, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.”
Jesus didn’t choose to heal her. He didn’t even know who touched Him. Her faith opened the door for divine intervention into her circumstances.
I will not diminish the significance of God’s sovereignty, but it is critical for us to recognize a prevailing trend in Scripture.
God’s involvement in our lives is directly linked to our willingness to invite Him in by faith.
That doesn’t mean He spares us from every unpleasant circumstance. After all, sometimes He broke Paul out of prison and other times Paul sat in prison writing the letters that now compose the New Testament.
Sometimes that involvement is changing circumstances that we didn’t think could change. Sometimes it is bringing peace through a storm that He knows we have to endure to develop into the people we are called to be. Sometimes it means helping us recognize changes we need to make to navigate through this season.
You have the capacity to limit how God will intervene in your life.
Maintain a posture of faith and trust, keeping the door wide open for Him to move.
Are there any areas of your life today that you are keeping God out of?